Malden, MA water hardness

Tap water hardness
25mg/L
1.5gpg
Soft

Reported by Malden Water Division (MWRA) · August 2025

MA typical
38 mg/L
EPA health violations since 2016
1
Data
Utility report

Malden water measures 25 mg/L (1.5 gpg) of hardness, soft by USGS standards. The number comes from Malden Water Division (MWRA), dated August 2025.

Malden on the hardness scale, with nearby cities
060120180240300360+MA typical 38Saugus: 10 mg/LSaugus 10Everett: 16 mg/LEverett 16Chelsea: 16 mg/LChelsea 16Stoneham: 16 mg/LStoneham 16Melrose: 18 mg/LMelrose 18Somerville: 20 mg/LSomerville 20Winchester: 20 mg/LWinchester 20Medford: 21 mg/LMedford 21Cambridge: 60 mg/LCambridge 60Revere: 87 mg/LRevere 87Malden 25mg/L as calcium carbonate060120180240300360+MA 38Everett: 16 mg/LEverett 16Chelsea: 16 mg/LChelsea 16Melrose: 18 mg/LMelrose 18Somerville: 20 mg/LSomerville 20Medford: 21 mg/LMedford 21Revere: 87 mg/LRevere 8725 mg/Lmg/L as calcium carbonate
Soft 0–60 mg/LModerately hard 61–120 mg/LHard 121–180 mg/LVery hard 181+ mg/L

Malden sits 13 mg/L below the typical Massachusetts figure of 38. Of the 10 nearest cities we track, 8 have softer water and 2 have harder. The range nearby runs from 10 mg/L in Saugus to 87 in Revere.

What 25 mg/L means at home

Soap and shampoo lather with very little product. Kettles and showerheads stay mostly free of white crust.

Some people notice that soap feels slow to rinse off in soft water. That slippery feel is normal and harmless.

Hardness is not a health problem, and EPA sets no limit for it. It is a matter of scale and soap.

What to do about it

Nothing, as far as hardness goes. At 25 mg/L a softener would have almost nothing to remove.

Carbon filter

If the water tastes of chlorine, a pitcher or faucet carbon filter takes care of that. It does not change hardness.

EPA record for Malden's water system

Malden Water Division (MWRA) · PWSID MA3165000

1 health-based violation since 2016

Serves about 66,263 people from surface water.

Health-based
1
Monitoring or reporting
3
Open now
1
20162017201820192020202120222023202420252026Disinfection byproducts rule'16'18'20'22'24'26Disinfection byproducts rule
Each dot is one health-based violation, placed at the start of its compliance period.
Contaminant or ruleViolationsPeriodStatus
Disinfection byproducts ruletreatment requirement12016Resolved

Health-based means a contaminant above its legal limit or a missed treatment step. Monitoring and reporting violations are late or missing tests and notices. Source: EPA ECHO, 2026Q3 export, violations with periods starting 2016 or later. Full EPA record.

Questions

Is Malden water hard?

No. It measures about 25 mg/L (1.5 grains per gallon), which the USGS classes as soft.

What is the water hardness in Malden in grains per gallon?

About 1.5 gpg. One grain per gallon equals 17.1 mg/L, so 25 mg/L divided by 17.1 gives 1.5.

Has the Malden water system had EPA violations?

EPA records show 1 health-based violation for Malden Water Division (MWRA) since 2016, involving Disinfection byproducts rule. There were also 3 monitoring or reporting violations, which are about late or missing tests and notices.

Nearby cities

All 104 cities in Massachusetts

Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness (utility report, August 20, 2025), CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.